Method of making a two-part ball construction



Jan. 2Q, 1953 KLAGES METHOD OF MAKING A TWO-PART BALL CONSTRUCTION Filed April 1, 1946 Patented Jan. 20, 1953 METHOD OF-MAKING A TWO-PART BALL CONSTRUCTION Reynold E. Klages, Columbus, Ohio, assignor to The Columbus Auto Parts Company, Columbus, 011110,. a corporation of Ohio Application Aprill, 1946;,ScrialN0.1'658,775

IClaim.

l The present invention relates to the construction of a two part ball having a wide variety of uses, but particularly adaptable for use in universal joints-and more specifically forming an excellent ball stud construction for a joint in a tie rod and drag link assembly.

One object of the present invention is to effect certain economies in manufacture, since it has been discovered that by making one part a solid ha'lf ball (which can be economically cold headed asthe stock has sufficient volume per unit of length for this purpose, although insufficient to form a full solid ball), then forming a hollow cooperating portion-in a relativelycheap mannerproduced at a 'much lower cost than that required to make afull solid ball of the same dimensions. Moreover, the two-part ball produced affords substantially the same value as a solid one-piece ball from the standpoint of wear and practicability.

Another object is to provide a two part ball of the type indicated, having certain novel characteristics inherent in its construct on.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a two-part ball construction of a type in which both portions may be independently hardened and the two properly welded. or mechanically connected without further processing or, in case of welding, without drawing the temper on the bearing surface of the ball contact parts during the welding. Moreover, by this arrangement it is unnecessary to remove any welding flash.

Further objects and advantages are within the scope of this invention such as relate to the arrangement, operation, and function of the related elements of the structure, to various details of construction and to combinations of parts, elements per se, as well as the economies of manufacture and numerous other features as will be apparent from a consideration of the specification and drawing of certain forms of the invention, one of which may be preferred, in which:

Figure I is a side elevation of the solid half ball part of one embodiment of the construction;

Figure II is a central, vertical section of a stamping for forming the other half of the ball;

Figure III is a side elevational view, partly in section, showing the two parts rolled or clinched together;

Figure IV is a view similar to Figure I of a modification; and

Figure V is a section of a cooperating piece to be welded to the part shown in Figure IV;

Figure VI is an elevational view, partly in section, showing the two parts of Figures IV and V ring welded together;

Figure VII is a side elevational view, partly in section, of a further modification of one-half of a two-part ball and ball stud;

Figure VIII is a sectional view of a cupped metal cooperating half of a ball; and

Figure IX is an elevational view, partly in section, showing the two parts of Figures VII VIII butt welded together.

Referring to the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figures I, II, and III, it will be seen that there is illustrated at i8, a solid one-piece stud and half ball construction having a stud or shank l8, and an integral, spherical, seat bearing, finished surface I i with a central, forwardly extending portion !2 connected thereto. Since the size of the stock orwire used in making the stud is determined by thesmallest diameter as indicated at I4 and since 4% diameters of wire is the practical limit of wire or stock that can be headed in two blows, the ball and stud ID, with the spherical surface II and central extension [2 not being a full, but only a half ball, is reduced in volume so that it can be economically made on a two blow cold heading machine.

In Figure II, I have illustrated the other half of the ball shown in this embodiment as a stamping it formed with an external spherical seating portion I! to cooperate with, correspond to, and form an extension of the spherical portion H of the solid portion II]. It Will be noted that the lower rim l8 of the section It is somewhat larger than the diameter of the ball H at the equator thereof so that when the cup section I6 is applied over the extension l2, the lower edge portion of rim I8 may be rolled or clinched down tight on the flange [2, thus uniting the two pieces I!) and I6 into one unitary ball which has substantially a continuous outside spherical shape of the desired size and configuration.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figures IV, V, and VI, the half ball and stud unit It is made substantially as in Figure I with a bevelled face 13 on the extension [2. Here, however, the cooperating hollow metal part 20, having a spherical seat portion 21 corresponding to or coextensive of the spherical portion 1! of the solid half ball on the stud, is cut away as indicated at an angle as at 2| at the outside edge thereof so that when the two parts are joined together, a ring weld 23 illustrated in Figure VI may be suitably received at the joining edges and thus employed to suitably join the two parts I and 20 into a contiguous whole. As shown in Figure IV, it is noted that the bevel I3 of the extension I2 cooperates with the edge 25 of the ball part 20 0 facilitate the ring welding operation referred In Figures VII, VIII, and IX, is illustrated a still further embodiment of the present invention. In this case the unit I0 has the half ball surface H as before with the extension l2 provided with an outwardly extending rim or flange I adapted to cooperate in the butt welding operation utilized in this embodiment. To this end, the stamped out or otherwise formed cooperating hollow unit 25 of the ball is formed with an outside spherical surface 26 and an inwardly cupped portion 21 providing a fiat bottom face 28 adapted to fit against the rim l5 and extension I2 whereupon the two parts are butt welded together, as indicated at 39 in Figure IX. In this embodiment, it will be noted that the two parts I0 and 25 may be separately completely finished and hardened and that by uniting the two parts by a butt Weld, as indicated, the heat developed will not draw the temper from the finished bearing spherical surface H and 29 nor is it necessary to remove any welding flash in this case, as the flash is located on the inside of the hollow portion of the ball as indicated at 3|.

It is apparent that, within the scope of the invention, modifications and different arrangements may be made other than is herein disclosed, and the present disclosure is illustrative 'merely, the invention comprehending all variations thereof.

What I claim is:

In a method of making the ball part for a ball joint assembly having a solid integral stud and half ball unit with a maximum diameter of the ball part for a given stud, providing a cylindrical stock of material of a diameter substantially the 4 minimum diameter of a portion of the stud shank and the length of that portion of said stock provided for formation into said stud and half ball unit being such that the volume is approximately four and a half times said diameter of the cylindrical stock to have suificient volume per unit of length to make a joint unit with a combined integral stud having a maximum-sized solid half ball and an integral central extending portion thereon; completely shaping the unit to form a solid half ball integral with the shank by cold heading said stock with two blows in a cold heading machine; providing simultaneously therewith an interconnecting shoulder thereon; forming a separate hollow cooperating ball part complementary to said first one half ball part; assembling the two parts; and finally permanently connecting the rim of the hollow part to said shoulder of the stud and one half ball part.

REYNOLD E. KLAGES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 71,450 Butter Nov. 26, 1867 7 1,292,037 Pfanstiehl Jan. 21, 1919 1,559,402 Boardman Oct. 27, 1925 1,714,661 Crawford May 28, 1929 1,775,055 Tarbox et a1 Sept. 2, 1930 1,825,005 Longhead Sept. 29, 1931 1,842,571 Sebell Jan. 26, 1932 2,141,753 Huiferd et al Dec. 27, 1938 2,265,839 Hufierd et al. Dec. 9, 1941 2,280,634 Flumerfelt Apr. 21, 1942 2,319,235 Hothersall May 18, 1943 2,324,055 Bahelka July 13, 1943 2,429,293 Peck et al. Oct. 21, 1947 

